Good Morning Chicago DSA,

Spring is here (ish)! The nice weather (relatively speaking) we’ve been getting means that going outside and heading to a canvass or a working group meeting is even easier now. We’re now less than 3 weeks away from the runoff elections, so make sure to find time in your calendar to get out and support one of our endorsed candidates.

We’ve also got a good, diverse schedule of events for you all this week. There’s a wide range of working group meetings. The first Socialist Night School class of the semester. And then one event in particular that I’m looking forward to, the Conceivable Future House Party a week from today.

The news over the last week, both in Chicago and around the world, has been pretty tumultuous and bad. It’s clear that white supremacy is on the rise and current structures of power are incapable of confronting it in a meaningful way but, instead, feed into it and allow it to grow. It’s important that, especially at a local level, we continue to work, organize, and push back against the forces of white supremacy and those that profit from it. Plus, and I’ve found this to be consistently true, there’s nothing that lifts the spirits more after a bad news week than spending time and organizing with other socialists.

I’ll see you out there comrades 😉

All Week in Oak Park

Tim Thomas, DSA member and CDSA endorsed candidate for Oak Park Trustee, needs your help! Leading up to the trustee election on April 2, we need people to come and help canvass and phone bank for Tim. There are canvasses pretty much every day and a phone bank on Monday. Please check our FB event page or our website calendar for more details. If you are unable to make it out to Oak Park, please consider supporting Tim financially and donating to his campaign. And for more information on who Tim is, why he’s running for Trustee and what he stands for, be sure to check out his website: http://tim4trustee.com/

Monday, March 18

The People’s Ward Night With Rossana Rodriguez; 6 PM – 7:30 PM; Lizard’s Liquid Lounge; 1358 W. Irving ParkCome meet aldermanic candidate Rossana Rodriguez and be a part of the conversation about how we can build a better ward for all.
Rossana Rodriguez is an educator, mother, artist and activist who has worked with youth and families in the 33rd Ward for the last decade. As an independent, progressive alderman, she will build a ward for the many–a welcoming place for immigrants, seniors, and all working people. Come meet Rossana and the community members supporting her campaign. Share your priorities for the ward and enjoy light refreshments.

Tuesday, March 19

Queer Socialist Working Group Meeting; 7 PM – 8:30 PM; CDSA Office; 3411 W. Diversey Ave.Please join us for our monthly meeting! We will be discussing projects that we’ve been working on that promote solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. All are welcome!

Medicare for All IL-9 Campaign Meeting; 7 PM – 8:30 PM; Evanston Public Library; 1703 Orrington Ave, EvanstonJoin members of Chicago DSA’s Health Care Working Group as we plan our fight for Medicare for All in Illinois’s ninth congressional district! Help us build the movement that will defeat the health care profiteers and win a future where health care is a universal human right. All are welcome, including those living outside the ninth district and non-DSA members.

Wednesday, March 20

Housing Working Group Meeting; 7 PM – 9 PM; National Public Housing Museum; 625 N. KingsburyPlease join us for our monthly meeting, where we’ll be discussing our ongoing projects and upcoming events, doing some political education, and electing a new steering committee!

Socialist Feminist Working Group Meeting; 7 PM – 8:30 PM; CDSA Office; 3411 W. Diversey AveAll are welcome at the monthly meeting of the Socialist Feminist Working Group! We will be discussing upcoming projects for this year, including the Abortion Bowl-a-thon fundraiser and exposing local crisis pregnancy centers.

Solidarity Economy Working Group Meeting; 7 PM – 9 PM; Harold Washington Library; 400 S State St.At this month’s meeting, we will:
–Revisit the mission, vision, and core values of the Working Group
–Review the recently released solidarity economy survey to determine what the public would like to see from the Working Group https://goo.gl/forms/l4hp9UohJPjkwK2C3
–recap recent developments in Chicago’s solidarity economy landscape
–discuss potential campaigns and initiatives to be developed by the Working Group
–brainstorm popular education projects to grow the public understanding of a solidarity economy
We’re meeting at Harold Washington Library 5th Floor South

Thursday, March 21

Socialist Night School: Labor, Class, and Marx; 7 PM – 9 PM; UE Hall; 37 S. Ashland Ave.
Join your comrades for a night school class on March 21st at 7pm at the UE Hall, 37 S Ashland for the first class of our Spring Semester! If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP here. We’ll be reading the texts that can be found at the above link (if you can’t make it through all of them, just do your best! We’ve also included a glossary to help Defeat the Jargon). We’ll be discussing the meaning and importance of labor and class in socialism and Marxism. Our classes are intended to foster discussion and help us all understand the texts and each other better. See you there!

Drinks and Discourse: Why Does City Council Matter Anyway;7 PM – 9 PM; Leadway Bar; 5233 N. Damen Ave.Join us for an informal discussion on why the Chicago City Council matters for the upcoming April 2nd run-off election. 40th Ward Alderman candidate Andre Vasquez will make an appearance.

Sunday, March 24

Conceivable Future House Party: A Discussion on the Intersection of Environmental & Reproductive Justice; 2 PM – 4 PM; 1445 W. Belle Plaine Ave.
One of the primary concerns we face in light of the ongoing climate crisis is what the future will look like for the generations that come after us.
In this event, co-hosted by the CDSA Socialist Feminist and Environmental Justice Working Groups in partnership with Conceivable Future, we look at the intersection of climate change and reproductive justice, and share how our environmental concerns shape our decisions to have or not have children. The event includes a reading and discussion of a socialist response to the argument that population growth threatens the environment, breakaway discussions on how climate change has influenced our own family planning decisions, and an optional opportunity to record your story for the Conceivable Future testimonial project. The event will conclude with presentations from the Socialist Feminist and Environmental Justice Working Groups on current and future campaigns and actions to get involved with to fight for an environmental, feminist, and, as always, socialist future. To learn more about Conceivable Future, visit http://conceivablefuture.org/.

Chicago will be hosting a regional DSA conference on April 12-14. We’re looking for folks who can help out with child care during the actual conference. If you’re free that weekend and can spend 4 or so hours hanging out with some rad kids, please reach out to danieljsloan@gmail.com. We are also in need of a few more solidarity housing hosts.Please complete this form if you’ve got an extra bed, couch, or air mattress and can host a comrade on April 12-14.

Our Socialist Feminist Working Group has started fundraising for the Chicago Abortion Fund through the annual Abortion Bowl-A-Thon! Last year, the team – the Bowletariat – raised over ten thousand dollars for abortion access. To find out more about the team and why they’re raising money and to then be in such awe that you want to donate money and also maybe join the team, check out the team’s donation profile!

The Strike and Solidarity Committee is looking for strike captains! If you’re interested in being a strike captain (no experience required!), fill out this survey about the times and areas where you could help. They have also set up an SMS system to keep people posted about strike and solidarity actions. People that want to get updates should text SOLIDARITY to 55222.

If you aren’t on the CDSA Slack Channel yet, but would like to be, shoot me an email at cdsacomms@gmail.com and I’ll get you set up with it.

Grievance Policy. If you ever feel you are being harassed by another member of DSA, or made to feel uncomfortable by a member, or have a conflict with another member, please reach out to hgo@chicagodsa.org to get in touch with our chapter’s Harassment and Grievance Officers.

As Always:

Fill out this form immediately if you have CDSA organized/sponsored event you want on the calendar. To get the event on this email, it must be submitted by the preceding Friday.

Check out the events page on our website for the most up date list of events.